Wednesday, November 27, 2013

To-die-for bread pudding in under five minutes? Only on television...

Chef Dan was featured this morning on CHCH Morning Live, getting a bit of help from broadcast host Annette Hamm. He is a natural in front of the camera, where his wit, humour and the magic of television transformed a one-hour dish into a 4-minute dessert.

The 5-minute appearance in front of the camera should be required study for anyone hoping to host their own televised Food Show. The process actually took several hours, as Chef assembled all the tools, pots and bowls he would need the day before. He made sure he had two sets of ingredients, baking one dish and sauce ahead of time to show as the finished dessert, and prepping the second set of raw ingredients for the camera.

The induction burner that he used on set was the perfect tool for cooking in small spaces where there is no vent hood. It creates energy when a pot is placed on top to close a magnetic circuit, while the only thing that gets hot is the food and the pot in which it is cooked. There is no residual heat to burn hands, or in this case, the milk that boiled over while Chef was instructing Ms. Hamm on the finer points of whipping egg whites.

When the 30-second warning came from the control room, Chef Dan switched his dish-in-progress with the finished one, and closed the segment with a freshly plated Bread & Butter Pudding drizzled with Eggnog Creme Anglaise. Heavenly!

It is the nature of the industry that no-one actually got a chance to taste this rich, to-die-for comfort food. The upshot? Chef got a chance to let viewers know about our diploma programs, as well as the Christmas dinner that we will serve to 400 school children at Hess Street School on December 19.






You will find the recipe for Chef Dan's Bread & Butter Pudding with Eggnog Creme Anglaise on our recipe page.

The miracle of television can transform a dish.......


... from prep stage........

...to finished dessert in under 5 minutes. 

Chef Dan organizes the ingredients and rehearses the recipe in
 his head outside the studio while he waits to go on air.

CHCH allowed us in the studio while Chef was on set.
Rob Balla (Balla Media) & Nicole (our multi-tasking administrator)
watch from behind the cameras.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

The trade-off: fun for feedback

Our afternoon Advanced students worked with Delft Blue last Thursday, dreaming up various ways to serve the company's newest, soon-to-be-released product - a breaded & pressed mushroom burger and an appetizer-sized mushroom petal.

The students got a chance to work their skills and unleash their imagination, while Delft Blue gained some valuable feedback from these future industry professionals. The student with the best creation was awarded a Victorianox scimitar knife for their efforts.


Brienne's winning recipe-A spicy mushroom shrimp burger,
with mozzarella cheese, lemon pepper shrimp and spicy mayonnaise. 

Visit our Facebook page for more photos. 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Hidden talents.....

 Our chef-instructors are exceptionally skilled cooks.  We are lucky to have them on board, and reap the benefits almost every day (Lunch anyone?) It's always interesting, though, to see beyond the plate, and glimpse the other talents that emerge from time to time.

Chef Dan is a talented visual artist and pumpkin carver extraordinaire. 


Chef Bill installed the new fryer in the kitchen recently,
and has built displays for our booth at Food & Drink.